A Motive for Training

"Never met? How many? Who's 'she'?" the creature repeated in a questioning tone.

The red eye-beams turned off and the creature folded its wings to its sides. "You are not them," SIX said as he dropped onto the console in front of him, standing on top of it. "Seven must have dealt with them... The Ten got separated..." he said as he began to pace. "The others must have found another way out..." he continued cryptically to no one in particular. SIX then looked around the dilapidated room. "This is where the captors retreated. But where did they go from he-" he stopped as he spotted the ladder.

"Freedom," it hissed as it leapt onto the ladder. SIX scrambled up the ladder quickly, gouging up the metal rungs, but banged his head on the sealed lid. Startled from the impact, he fell down off the ladder onto his side in a pile of dust and debri.

He recovered quickly and rolled back to his feet, looking up at the seal above. He howled once more in agitation before unfurling his wings and opening his jaws. He breathed a gout of roiling flames at the entrance, trying to burn through it. It held strong, but for how much longer?

-Boss-
SIX.VI: 500HP [Attacking sealed entrance. Three turns until it is breached.]

-Terrain-
100% Industrial
[Industrial Terrain counts as Normal Terrain. Debris and various consoles and terminals litter the area in various states of repair, and can be used for cover, interacted with, or used as weapons and tools dependent on RP.]

-Navis-
Martia.EXE: 210HP [LyntaelCross] [40HP Barrier]
Lyntael.EXE: 120HP [MartiaCross] [Buster Charge: 2] [20HP Barrier] [Counter: 'My Pain is Real']
Lyntael added her own nod in agreement with her friend, though she hesitated at actually taking a seat with her; she suspected that if she actually sat down right now, getting up again might be difficult. Either the earlier damage, or the healing, or both, had taken it out of her and as much as her breath was mostly recovered and she was no longer panting, she felt... drained.

Either way, it didn't seem to matter too much. Once he had written off the pair as not being his original captors, the confused creature seemed to disregard them both completely, musing to himself instead, though parts of his words seemed to be explaining. Seven seemed to be the main intelligence behind the... uprising? Ten subjects in total, but this one was the only one left here. Not all in one mind then... that could be a problem.

Before she had time to ponder his words any further, the creature... she supposed he was really their charge now, in a way, fixed his sights on what was apparently very much the only way out, and set about breaking it open. If the interior containment hadn't held him back once awoken, she highly doubted the security barriers Rogan had passed them through would hold up for very long. She bit her lip, hesitant, and flinched back as the project's renewed assault bathed the area in a bright fireglow, casting light over the otherwise dim space. They couldn't let it loose, but they couldn't exactly force him to stop attacking the barrier either, without looking exactly like the gaolers the creature had first expected, and that wouldn't end well.

"Rogan, sir..." She spoke in as calm and relaxed a voice as she could manage; even if she whispered, the creature would hear her, so better to sound like she wasn't trying to hide her voice at all. She did her best to pick words very carefully, being sure to to give any direct suggestion of keeping the poor thing contained. "Sir, Martia and I are still trying to calm him down, but he's beginning to attack the outer security barrier of this zone. I don't think it will hold for long, and after that, he would be free and loose on the net. Under the circumstances, sir, is there anything you can do to help, from your side? I'm sorry to intrude, but I know you're not busy any more, and we could use your help." She continued to keep her eyes focused on the creature as she spoke. She didn't think she'd said anything that might raise anger flags for it. It might even sound like she was asking for help opening it up, but she knew she was still taking a gamble on the poor thing's coherence, and how mistrustful it seemed to be. Rogan's response came back after a short moment, and as she listened, she was thankful that he'd kept his channel muted to her ears alone.

"From here, there are a number of things I could do to solve the problem, Lyntael, most of which would result in the total erasure of that archive and the scrubbing of all data artefacts from that particular isolated zone. Including yourself. Suffice to say, given our present company, I do Not" the pointed emphasis on the word was clear to hear, "consider any of those methods to be helpful options at the moment. Hm. I can try to complexify and relayer the protocols on the archive. I've already cracked it all, so modifying it from the top should be possible if I'm quick." To his credit, Lyntael could already hear the sounds of him beginning to work as he spoke. "Not sure how effective it will be, but I'm going to try to beef it up a bit and hopefully make it harder for your friend there to brute force his way through." Another moment of silence, though she could still here him tapping away. "That's all I can think of, short of anything more... drastic."

As the channel closed again in her ear, Lyntael tried not to sigh. On their own then. Rogan always said that Eric was far better at the virtual side of matters. A small corner of her mind brightened at the thought. Maybe, when they got out of this, Eric could help the one-time navi... that still left them with the current problem of him trying to break out onto the net, though, and it was just she and Martia now.

Standing by the other woman, she looked towards her friend.
"He doesn't seem interested in us any more, but we can't just..." she stopped herself before she managed to say anything... dangerous to her health. "Ah, I mean... what can we do, to help, you know? We've got to do something..." She swallowed and looked again, then began to approach him, slowly. As fixated as he seemed on escape, she hoped he was still aware enough to listen to them both now. When she did speak, it was as clear as she could be, without being loud. For her, that was still not particularly loud, or particularly firm; a large part of her still couldn't really fathom that she was doing something so likely to get her killed, and she tried not to think about it.

"Wait, please... If you break out of here like that, in rage, and violence, everyone who sees you will just try to hurt you. We can get out of here, I promise you, but you need to calm down. We're trapped in here as well, the same as you, but we can all leave together, and we will, if you can relax, and talk to us." As much as it seemed to struggle with talking, the one-time navi seemed to understand them well enough, most of the time so far. Still, better to talk clearly and simply, even so.

Summary

1) Prepared Dodge
2) Ask Rogan for assistance
3) Reasoning with SIX: Violence begets violence, and pain, more pain.
4) Reasoning with SIX: We'll go together, but calmly.

Cooldowns

All ready
"Hey! Whoa there, big guy!" Though what it said was pretty interesting, if not necessarily immediately useful, Martia's more immediate concern involved the monster breathing fire at the door. "I'm not sure that's a great idea...it's just like Lyn said. If someone sees fire bursting out of the ground, followed by something that looks like you hopping out of it, they're going to jump to conclusions, like that you actually belonged in here or something. I know that you don't, and you know that you don't, and Lyn knows that you don't, but you'd be surprised how judgmental some Navis can be when they think they're in danger."

With that, the fighter Navi hopped up, noting that she wasn't feeling the usual sensation of having parts of her take longer to stop moving. That...was pretty awesome. But, not the time to think about that. Slowly, she walked over to the creature, disengaged her static field around her right hand, and gently placed it on the chimera's side, to make certain she got its attention. And possibly to let it know once and for all that she wasn't a threat, since really, if she was going to wait until now to hurt it, why wouldn't she just attack now instead of keeping at trying to befriend it? "I know, it's asking a lot for you to be patient right now...but, you have to trust us. Okay? Now, stop melting the cover and we'll try to figure out how to get us all out of here, in a way that won't make people make any really bad rash decisions." But, how? As far as any of them knew, that was the only way out into the main Net, and while she was pretty sure there was no jack out barrier, they didn't really have any specific place to warp to. And it seemed a tad early to call SciLab about finding a place for it while they worked to separate it. Hmm...

All she could do watch the flames as she thought...though, the more she looked at them, the hotter she started to feel. She more or less knew what that meant, though. Her learning systems were starting to take effect...

[Order of Turn:
1-Stand up
2-Walk over to SIX (movement)
3-Think
4-Use TM 35 Ponder whether she's learning a new move or not]
The creature stopped breathing fire. The covering look a little melted but was holding strong. "What? Wait? But... No... No... No." Though despite his protest, SIX sat down.

Another holo-screen turned on nearby: [Breach attempt detected. Activating Subject Eleven to contain...
...
...
...ERROR! Containment system damaged. Locks not released. Manual Override: Y/N?]


-Boss-
SIX.VI: 500HP

-Objects-
Melted Covering:??? [Three Turns until seal is breached.]

-Terrain-
100% Industrial
[Industrial Terrain counts as Normal Terrain. Debris and various consoles and terminals litter the area in various states of repair, and can be used for cover, interacted with, or used as weapons and tools dependent on RP.]

-Navis-
Martia.EXE: 210HP [LyntaelCross] [40HP Barrier]
Lyntael.EXE: 120HP [MartiaCross] [Buster Charge: 2] [20HP Barrier] [Counter: 'My Pain is Real']
Without really noticing what she was doing, Lyntael found herself dropping to a crouch along with the poor, confused creature... the poor, very dangerous, clearly capable of killing her on a whim, violently impulsive creature. What in the world was she doing? She glanced to Martia as a reminder to be brave, then took a breath and looked back to him.

"There... it's ok. Look at me now, focus here, alright?" He's said he was unstable before, but clearly some part of him was just frightened, and trapped, and wanted safety and freedom. She had to try to make sure that part stayed in control. "Look at me. We're going to help alright, just stay with me, here, and it will be better. Talk to me... can you focus on that? Just talk to me here." She wasn't exactly sure where the words came from anything more than instinct, but if nothing else, the more it calmed, the better things would probably be for its general stability too. She wondered if even existing like that was causing him pain. It probably was, but she dared not ask directly. Just as she was about to keep going, a new screen came online, and she looked towards it.

Ok, not good. It just had to be one thing after another, didn't it? She only spared it a glance long enough to read before turning back to their charge. At least she had a question to try to help it focus on now.

"Martia..." she murmured, still keeping eye contact as best she could with SIX. "He said 'The Ten', before, and he's number six... but that says eleven. If there's another one trapped in here, and we let it out, we might have something even fiercer and more dangerous in here too... but if there is another one, like SIX here, then we can't just leave it locked up either." It was a right fix, with their lives stuck right in the middle of the scales. Internally she was glad beyond measure for the way her changed form was letting her keep something that looked like calm, at least on the surface. She bit her lip. "At least it's waiting for input... I'll stay with him, do you think there might be another console that's not broken? Maybe you could find out if that 'eleven' is like this, or something else?" Her voice stayed soft and gentle the whole time, but internally she could feel that the smoothness of it was only hair away from becoming a much more trembling worry. Tilting her head, she held SIX's eyes as best she could.

"Just focus with me here, alright. I know you're frightened, and tired of being trapped. I am too, but we'll get there. I'll tell you a secret... I'm terrified. Really, and truly. But I trust Martia, here, and I trust our other friends, so I'm sure we'll be fine. I don't know if you're in pain, you said you were... unstable... but we're going to try to fix it, so just focus on me for now, alright? Can you tell me more about yourself? You mentioned others, ten, like they were your friends... can you tell me about them?" A part of her instinct wanted to reach out to touch him, even just to rest a reassuring hand, like Martia had, but the rest of her denied the urge, still shrinking from the memory of the damage he had dealt before. She couldn't make herself do it, and instead, wrapped her hands about her knees as she crouched. What seemed most important at the moment was keeping the more rational, communicable side of the project in control, and talking to them. If nothing else, keeping him calm would be less likely to tax a spliced-together system.

Summary

1) Calming SIX: 'Just talk to me.'
2) Calming SIX: 'I'm scared too, but it's alright.'
3) Talking: 'Tell me about yourself.'
4) Talking: 'Tell me about the others.'
Fortunately, the monster listened, and sat down before the lock was overly damaged. It was a load off her mind, but she couldn't help but feel sorry for it. It wasn't like she could really blame it for wanting to get out. "I really am sorry...but don't worry, we'll figure out how to get you out safely!" But, that was easier said than done. Maybe she SHOULD just call SciLab, since that seemed like the only way to pull it off...huh? A holo screen? Let's see, what'd it say...Subject Eleven? Hmm, this could be tricky. If they didn't release it, they'd come across as jerks to, well, pretty much everyone else here. But if they did, there might be some...unforeseen problems. Decisions...but, at least there didn't seem to be a time limit on reaching a decision. They should probably do some research before releasing it.

As Lyn spoke to her, something suddenly sprung to the forefront Martia's mind. "Wait a sec. He said the ten, yeah. But, according to that log entry we read, they made twelve...constructs." Huh, not a bad term for something she came up with on the spot to avoid saying monster. "Which means there's two that aren't accounted for. All right, you stay here and keep him company, and I'll try and find something that isn't totaled, and find out more about it! Be right back!" All right, let's see...nope, that was too wrecked. Wait, was that...no, that monitor wasn't connected to anything. Well, once she DID find something that worked, at least it shouldn't be very hard to run a check on 'Subject Eleven', and see just what its deal was.

[Order of Turn:
1-Console SIX
2-Chat with Lyn/take her suggestion
3-Find something that can give Martia some answers (movement)
4-Use found something to give Martia some answers (RP-specific action)]
Lyntael and Martia tried to console Subject SIX a bit more before Martia moved away to gather information, leaving Lyn to try to open a dialogue with the beast. Lyn tried to coax SIX to talk to her, to focus on her, to tell her about himself and the others. Their eyes held each other for a little bit. There was a bond of fear between the two. The Navi must have acknowledged it, because he spoke. "The others... We were experiments. They wanted tools, weapons. I was the sixth... Or at least that is what they called me. The sixth created. Pain? Sometimes. Always tested, always drilled, pushed to our limits. Told to destroy targets, to get out of situations, constant simulations.

"Then Seven came. She... she... could see..." SIX raised a clawed hand and tapped the center of his chest. "She knew... She told us. We followed her, in secret. Seven would save us. We would be free. No more experiments, no more courses." SIX's tone was quickly becoming agitated, his fist clenching.

Martia meanwhile brought up a nearby terminal. This one had a blue holographic screen. She began typing away on the keyboard: <Subject Search: 'Subject Eleven'... Subject ELEVEN Found. Processing...

Upon the screen popped up another detailed image and internal schematic of a Navi. This Navi's core had been blended with defensive null viral data, specifically the IronShield and CannonGuard line of viruses. This gave Subject Eleven a strong forward shield for its use in riot policing duties. And more disturbing still was that it was also given the weaponry and tactics of the dangerous DarkMech virus. The idea was that it would move to engage a target while using its heavy shield to protect its front, and sometimes raising its shield above himself to protect against aerial attacks, while lobbing stun grenades and blasts. When it managed to catch the opponent in a stun field, it would rush forward with a sword and strike the target down or capture it.

On the other side of the room SIX's voice was raised. "They told us we were incomplete. Always testing, never fixing! But Seven showed them... Made them the targets, the tested. Seven showed them all!" SIX jumped back up onto his feet, looking up at the sealed entrance. "I must find her. Seven will save me. She promised." And with another raging, broiling bolt, SIX breathed another gout of superheated flame into the melted covering. The searing heat and dripping outer covering showed it wouldn't last much longer.

-Boss-
SIX.VI: 500HP

-Objects-
Melted Covering:??? [Two Turns until seal is breached.]

-Terrain-
100% Industrial
[Industrial Terrain counts as Normal Terrain. Debris and various consoles and terminals litter the area in various states of repair, and can be used for cover, interacted with, or used as weapons and tools dependent on RP.]

-Navis-
Martia.EXE: 210HP [LyntaelCross] [40HP Barrier]
Lyntael.EXE: 120HP [MartiaCross] [Buster Charge: 2] [20HP Barrier] [Counter: 'My Pain is Real']
Ok, now they were getting somewhere. Lyntael found herself almost weak with relief that her charge had begun to respond to her decently, and she watched as he told them both more about his captivity. He didn't seem to know or remember anything about a time before, or who he had been, but there was clearly a person in there, even if his thoughts sounded degraded... She took a breath and raised her hands to calm as his words led to more agitation again, but shrank back as the former project lashed out at the hatch again. Not good.

Martia had found something, at least. She couldn't see the screen from here, but she hoped it was good news. In the back of her mind, Lyntael wondered what exactly Martia could find out that could possibly be considered good news, in this situation, but she pushed the thought away. Instead, she rose up to stand again, bracing herself before reaching out to lay her hands on his arm and shoulder, just gently. Internally she quailed from what she was doing, but she managed to force that down and persevere. More importantly, she focused on the act itself, and the more important implications: she was accepting him in her space, and allowing contact. Mentally she focused hard on this, and repeated it to herself in her head. She could accept contact with him, so, even if he did strike her now, her body would not react. That would be the last thing they needed now... Sometimes she hated the curses of her body being the way it was.

"Easy now, we're getting there, but listen." Her touch on him was only gentle, but by some miracle her voice grew firmer as she spoke. "If you don't want to be tested on any more, and don't want to be a weapon any more, you can start now. We'll get out of this, but without violence, and without destruction, do you understand? No more fighting, no more destroying. You are a free person now, so let's get out of here like people, calmly, and not as monsters."

Lyntael took a breath, thinking as quickly as she could while she hoped he'd pay attention to her again, and not on the only thing between him, and a violent rampage across the net.

"You said Seven would save you from the one who did this to you, well... she has. They're gone now, and they will never experiment on you again. It sounds like she cared for you all, and I believe you, so think, please. She's not here, and nor are the others of 'the ten' you mentioned... but if she had to leave you behind, I'm sure there must have been a very good reason for it." She knew she was mostly guessing by now, but at least it seemed reasonable in her mind. "You said you were unstable, and they said you were broken, but they never helped fix you. I think, when Seven freed you all from the bad men, you were left asleep like this, because you might be falling apart. She promised to save you, you said, and I'm sure she's looking for a way to help make you safe and stable, wherever she is, but if she left you here asleep, then I think it was probably because you're in danger of dying the more you exert yourself. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

It was a gamble, and more guess-work than not, but he had said that Seven could see inside them all, somehow, whatever that meant. She hoped she was right, and that he hadn't simply been abandoned by someone who made him a promise, but either way, whoever they got to help would need to be seeing a navi first, and not a monster, and that meant he needed to stay calm, and not violent. She lifted one hand to place it against her own chest, still watching SIX carefully. For a moment, she was very much aware, again, of her complete lack of upper-body coverage, but given the circumstances, it was only a fleeting thought.

"Seven made you a promise, but now I'm going to make you one too, alright? I want to promise you that we can help, and that we are doing all we can to get you to someone who can fix you, and make you stable and safe again. I promise, but you have to be calm; no more violence or destruction, no more rage. Be the person I know you are, and not a monster any more." For a moment she looked down at herself. "You have a lot of power... and I know what it's like, having a body that doesn't always do what you want it to... that reacts before you can stop it sometimes, or has instincts that are hard to control." She looked up again trying to find his eyes. "But I know you can. Please try."

With any luck, he'd still be focused enough to talk, and talking meant not breathing fire at things. Once he was calm enough, and they'd decided what to do with 'Eleven', Rogan cold open the seal again, and they could get in touch with SciLab and maybe take a direct link to a place they could help, but until then, she had to keep him focused on being a navi first, and not a monster. Martia would tell her what she'd learned, but for now it was something to ask about.

"Listen, There's something else. You said 'Ten' before, but the system here is talking about releasing project 'Eleven'. Do you know anything about that? Is it someone like you? If we let him out, will he attack us?" She swallowed, licking her lips. "I don't want to die, and I'm no fighter... but, if he is someone like you, and he is suffering, like you are suffering, then I don't want to just leave him trapped here. I want to help him as well, if we can. Do you know anything?" As focused as she was on talking to SIX, Lyntael knew she'd have to leave the final decision about the release in Martia's hands. In her heart, she realised it was probably going to be released one way or the other, but she still hoped that they cold get out of the whole mess without any more fighting; her body shuddered in memory of what had happened to her earlier.

Summary

1) Hand contact, accepting SIX as allowed. (Lyntael is doing her best to resist her body's defensive impulse where SIX is concerned, and will struggle very hard to prevent the reaction that would normally occur if he should strike her.)
2) Calming: You are a free person now, not a monster.
3) Reasoning: Left asleep for a reason: unstable, possibly dying.
4) Questioning: Do you know 'Eleven'? Should we let him out?

A disappointed sigh rang through the air, as Martia read what the terminal was showing her. "Figures...it's all combat info. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, but still. It's actually pretty depressing that they don't have any data on anything else..." She knew how it fought, but considering she had no desire to fight it, it was questionable exactly how useful knowing that was. She shook her head, and started to head back, only to see the monster start melting the door cover again. Lovely. "Hold on a sec! I can personally guarantee you that Seven's not that way. We came in from there, and all that's up there is a hole in the wall where we came in, and then it's just plain ol' SciLab Area. And I sure didn't see anyone earlier." Hey, she looked stuff up, but she was still listening earlier.

But with that, the crossed Navi metaphorically took a step back, since pretty much everything Lyn was saying was stuff she agreed with. She was actually proud of her friend; she could tell she was still scared, but she was fighting through it, and winning no less. Just listen to her go. When the other Navi was done, she decided to add a thing or two. "Any info on him or her at all you know would help, even if it doesn't seem like it would. I mean, it can't be any worse than this terminal, all it gave me was battle-related stuff!"

As soon as she said that, a light went on in Martia's head. Maybe it only gave her that because she didn't ask for it. After all, even though their personality data wasn't the main goal of the so-called scientists, it was still data, so it was possible that they still included it in their archives. It was worth a shot, anyway. "Er, go ahead. I need to make sure of something!" She doubled back to the terminal, and started to run a search on any information pertaining to the subjects' personality data. Deep down, she wasn't really expecting anything to happen, but she couldn't take the chance that there really was something in there...

[Order of Turn:
1-Lament lack of relevant info
2-Let Lyn talk to SIX
3-Chime in on discussion about who Eleven is
4-Look up data on subjects' personalities]

Quote ()

"You are a free person now, so let's get out of here like people, calmly, and not as monsters."


SIX stopped.

"We... are... not... monsters." Subject SIX said, obviously hurt, and shamed by the implication. He then listened silently and forlorn as Lyntael and Martia talked to him. Even though Lyntael was touching him, he made no movements to throw her off.

Quote ()

"... but you have to be calm; no more violence or destruction, no more rage. Be the person I know you are, and not a monster any more."


SIX nodded his head slowly in affirmation. His body physically relaxed, and the sparks and embers died down and fizzled out. Then Lyntael and Martia asked him about Subject Eleven. He visibly stiffened, and his lips quivered. "H-He was one of us... One of the Twelve. Then... they stole his mind." SIX's voice cracked a little at the end before he stopped talking, clearly it was a sensitive issue and he was trying to keep a brave front. And not break down sobbing.

-----------

<Subject Search: 'Personality: Subject Eleven'... Data Found. Processing...

Martia pulled up the search parameters again and the blue hologram switched over to a diagram of what looked like a Navi brain. Apparently there were notes here pertaining to the initial memory wipe and subsequent reprogramming. Unfortunately, the data on the memory wipe did not include anything on who or what the subject was before, or a way to reverse the procedure. One would also assume they didn't keep a backup of the original memory anagrams. But it did describe the reprogramming.

All test subjects seemed to have been given the same set of memories. One of the researchers was used as a template, a Navi by the name of Doctor MonteblancMan. The memories were recorded on a template and then altered to include the other test subjects and researchers as various family and friends from the Navi's past. The test subjects were literally tricked into thinking that their current life as test subjects was a conscious choice. Whether it was a phony disease that needed treatment, or the want to become a stronger Netbattler.

An underlying obedience program was also blended into their framework. Apparently they responded to certain phrases in different ways. The length of time that a certain command lasted fluctuated with the individual and the command given. One must give a security code before any command. A small list of commands followed:

-Standby: Subject stops current operations and awaits new commands.
-Status: Subject stops current operations and gives its current status.
-Attack [Target]: Subject engages [Target] with the intention to delete.
-Subdue [Target]: Subject engages [Target] with the intention to render inoperable, without deletion, in order to be retrieved.
-Defend [Target]: Subject stays close to [Target] and attempts to defend them from anything deemed a threat to [Target]. Subject will attempt to delete any threats unless either doing so will leave the [Target] undefended, or the threat retreats out of range.
-Patrol [Area]: Subject patrols [Area]. Subject will attempt to delete any unauthorized entry unless either doing so will leave the [Area] undefended, or the unauthorized entry retreats out of range.

The list continued like that for a few dozen lines more, but a lot of the words were garbled or fragmented. There were no listed security commands. Perhaps they were in another file? Also at the end there were a bunch of added notes by a few researchers explaining that sometimes certain subjects would outright ignore an order, usually due to some sort of glitch in their programs.

Then there was an amendment to the psychological profile of Subject Eleven. Apparently some new and exciting programming the researchers were working on had finally taken hold in one of the test subjects. Subject Eleven had become completely controlled. Almost like a machine without a soul, Subject Eleven no longer had any thoughts outside of whatever command was given to him. The researchers hailed this development as a huge step toward the full realization of their Project.

On the screen behind Martia, the red hologram's 'Y/N?' override button continued flashing.

-Boss-
SIX.VI: 500HP

-Objects-
Melted Covering:??? [Two Turns until seal is breached.]

-Terrain-
100% Industrial
[Industrial Terrain counts as Normal Terrain. Debris and various consoles and terminals litter the area in various states of repair, and can be used for cover, interacted with, or used as weapons and tools dependent on RP.]

-Navis-
Martia.EXE: 210HP [LyntaelCross] [40HP Barrier]
Lyntael.EXE: 120HP [MartiaCross] [Buster Charge: 2] [20HP Barrier] [Counter: 'My Pain is Real']
Lyntael felt her own body unconsciously relaxing some of its tension as SIX did the same. The calmer her was, the safer she would feel. Her nerves were just about frayed through by this point, and she wasn't sure how much longer she could keep up the appearance of calm reassurance, but her charge acting more like a navi and less a violent beast, was certainly helping a little. Still, what he had to say to her careful questioning added another layer of worry to their situation. Why did these things have to keep going from bad to worse? Her features creased, worry and concern ruling them now as she moved her hand slightly, rubbing gently in an effort to calm him, the more upset he seemed to grow.

"Shh, it's alright, I understand. It seems like you're all very close. Friends, family even. It's going to be alright."

Whatever else had gone on in here, it definitely looked like the projects had ended up sharing something very close to family bonds with one another, given the level of attachment and emotion he was showing, both about Seven on one hand, and now this Eleven, on the other. Which made their situation even more difficult, in reality. Stole his mind? That had to mean they must have done something to remove all trace of whoever he had been before, or even whoever he had become as a project... which meant...

"Listen, Eleven is still here, too, locked up like you were, and we can't just leave him here. He's your friend, and you care about him, I can see that... but when we set him free, he's probably going to attack us. We don't want to hurt him. No matter what the bad people did, we have to hope that there's something of your friend left that we can still help... so, if he won't listen, and tries to destroy us, we may have to defend ourselves, and try to subdue him, but even if we have to, we don't want to harm him, alright?" She repeated the statement, giving his arms a gentle squeeze in between the slow, soothing motion. "I promise you that." She took another breath and swallowed, then went on. "And, if it does come to that, but you don't want to fight, you don't have to. It's alright... we understand." She wasn't completely sure that making a promise like that was wise, rally. But wise or not, it was important. She herself knew far too well what it was like being made to fight things she didn't want to, and she was very definitely not about to push that on anyone else, ever. She nodded as much to herself as to her charge. "I hope it doesn't come to that, but we're not about to leave him imprisoned here either... You understand, don't you?" she held his eyes for a few moments longer, then stole a quick look up, across to where Martia was searching.

"Martia..." Lyntael kept her voice quiet, but clear enough for the other woman to hear. She had the temptation to shout out her question, but forced herself to maintain as much of a relaxed, calm tone as she could. "Did you find anything? I'm guessing, from what Six says, that when we let him out, he'll just attack, and it doesn't sound like he'll listen to us or stop to chat either... please tell me I'm wrong and you've found some good news?" Her voice had a desperately hopeful edge to it, but in her heart she doubted that whatever Martia was reading would make her happy.

Summary

1) Reassurance: Don't need to talk if you don't want to.
2) Reassurance: Want to help Eleven to, and don't want to harm.
3) Reassurance: If it comes to fighting, you don't have to, if you don't want to.
4) Asking Martia for an update, and hoping for good news.

The very fact that her search yielded actual results caught Martia a bit off-guard, but any happiness she got from her idea working quickly shifted to horror as she read just what the terminal came up with. Even after she finished, she needed to take a few moments to compose herself, so she wouldn't go off the deep end. "L-Lyn...I think you should really come over and read this..." 'Should' in that it might actually answer some questions. She couldn't say if she really felt any better knowing what she did now, though...

With a heavy heart, the crossed Navi stood up, and slowly walked over to the hologram. She raised her hand to choose a response, but hesitated for a moment. Was this really the right thing to do? This Eleven was, at its core, just another of the Navi/virus fusions just like Six over there. And yet...she saw what the terminal said. Functionally, the scientists had shut its very soul down, and who knew what they programmed it to do? She might hate herself for it, but she had no choice...slowly, she pressed the N option. "I'm sorry...I really am. But we can't release him right now. After what I just read, I can't trust the scientists responsible for all this one bit. Someday, hopefully soon, we'll come back, with people that can properly help...give him his mind back. And then we'll let him out. But if we do it now, he'll probably attack us all, including you. And I don't want any of my friends to have to deal with that situation, especially since I don't think any of us wants to fight him...I really am sorry..."

Deep down, Martia could already feel something in her chest: the bitter feeling of self-resentment. Even if it was a mindless monster right now, she was basically telling everyone that she supported keeping it trapped, at least for the time being. But, even if they hated her for making that decision, she didn't want anyone to get hurt any more. Not Lyn, not Six, and not herself. ...Not Six? Well, that wasn't something she was expecting to think the first time she saw it. But it went to show that you couldn't judge someone by appearances alone. Deep down, he had as much of a soul as herself, and that's what mattered most.

[Order of Turn:
1-Call Lyn over to read the current search results
2-Slowly walk over to the hologram
3-Reluctantly cancel manual override, and keep Eleven trapped
4-Apologize for doing what she did]
SIX's ears perked up. "Eleven's here? Where? Is he alright?" He seemed generally interested, until Martia and Lyntael told him the bad news. One could see the excitement drain out of his face bit by bit with each sentence uttered until he was but a pale shell. He curled in upon himself and began sobbing.

Martia clicked the 'N' on the red hologram and the program went into a standby mode. A new button appeared in its place: [Issue All-Clear: Y/N?]

-Boss-
SIX.VI: 500HP

-Objects-
Orange Console: Currently frozen on an ending log entry.
Green Console: Displaying 'Subject SIX' physical schematics.
Red Console: Displaying breach notification and error in containment field for 'Subject Eleven'.
Blue Console: Displaying 'Subject Eleven' and general Project mental workup.
Melted Covering:??? [Two Turns until seal is breached.]

-Terrain-
100% Industrial
[Industrial Terrain counts as Normal Terrain. Debris and various consoles and terminals litter the area in various states of repair, and can be used for cover, interacted with, or used as weapons and tools dependent on RP.]

-Navis-
Martia.EXE: 210HP [LyntaelCross] [40HP Barrier]
Lyntael.EXE: 120HP [MartiaCross] [Buster Charge: 2] [20HP Barrier] [Counter: 'My Pain is Real']
Even if she couldn't see the read-out, any hope for good news left Lyntael as she watched Martia's own reaction to her reading; enough so that the other woman's call to her to come look for herself made her more hesitant about actually doing so. She continued trying to soothe Six as Martia went on, and what she revealed confirmed what she'd feared, as well as reinforcing her trepidation at actually reading the details. She paused. Something about the way her friend was saying things... was she meaning...?

"Martia...?" Lyntael didn't quite find the words to form the question fully, but her friend confirmed her suspicion a moment later as she made the choice. Lyntael flinched. "But, what about.. we can't just... Martia..." After another moment she subsided, her features falling from surprise and confused dismay, into a mirror of regret to match her friend. Her shoulders slumped and she dropped her head. "I... I understand. I guess, you're right." Her own voice sounded dejected, but Six was in a worse state, and she slipped down to her knees beside him to stroke his back and shoulders slowly.

"We'll make sure he gets rescued too. We will." Her words carried a distinctly upset shake to them, but a part of her knew Martia had the right of it. They'd just end up fighting one another, and that would be worse. "But right now, he'd only risk hurting all of us, or himself, and we need to make sure you're safe and on your way to being well and whole again too. That has to come first, then we'll take care of him too, alright? We're going to get you out of here now, just stay calm." When she looked up to Martia, there was a hint of angry tears at the corner of her eyes, and it was probably a good thing that she hadn't viewed the report directly herself.

"Let's... Let's get out of here, Martia." She waved one hand in irritation to the various screens. "Can we just shut it down, all of it, for good? Rogan can open the seals again, and we can get a link out to SciLab, and make sure they've got somewhere for us to go? I... I just don't want to be in this place any more."

Looking towards the ceiling slightly, though without really knowing why, she opened a line to her operator.

"You can do that, right, sir? And give the SciLab officials we talk to all the details for how to find this place and clean it out, right? You can show them where it is, so they can fix it, can't you?" She didn't mean for her words to sound so much like she was begging, but that was how they came out regardless. Rogan didn't respond right away, and herself unconsciously arching up just a little, her mouth still open a touch as she practically strained to hear his answer. When at last he spoke, his voice made his shiver and relax, even if he sounded reluctant.

"Lyntael, you know that I'd really rather..." He stopped, and there was a long pause, before she heard him sigh softly. "Yes. I can do that." The line closed again and she relaxed. It occurred to the young girl only afterwards that offering the officials that sort of trace would be exactly what he didn't want to do, since it would let whoever he was chasing know that someone had found the haven as soon as SciLab cleaned it. A small blush fought its way to her cheeks, embarrassed for having asked such a thing of him without thinking, and then a unexpected feeling of warmth that made her bite her lip and almost tear up all over again; he'd agreed to, because she asked. Well, maybe not entirely because of her, but it was something at least. Something more than he usually gave her. She turned her attention back to her charge, continuing to comfort his sobs as best she could.

"We'll be out of here soon; our friends are working on it now and you'll be whole and well again in no time, I know it, ok? And just as soon as you're safe, we'll make sure they come and rescue Eleven as well, and help him too. Just stay calm and don't worry; we're here with you, alright?" In between she glanced up to Martia and tried to offer her a small smile. Whether it was in an effort to be supportive, or trying to say that she, herself, was doing alright, was a bit hard to tell. Either way, it was a fairly weak effort.

Summary

1) Comfort Six
2) Uncomfortable Acceptance of Martia's Decision
3) Let Rogan know they're ready to go, and request help.
4) Comfort and soothe Six some more.

Upon seeing the others' reactions, Martia let out a small sigh. Of relief more than anything; she had been a bit worried they wouldn't have accepted it as well as they did, Six in particular. "She's right. He's not trapped forever, after all. So there's no need to get too depressed about it. And if anyone can fix you guys up, it's SciLab! So, with any luck, you'll have that to look forward to!" Yep, focus on the positives. "Just hang in there a little longer, okay?"

Speaking of which, she turned over to Lyn, who was less than pleased at the prospect of staying here any longer. She couldn't blame her, it was a super depressing place, but..."You can leave if you want, but...I'm going to stay until SciLab gets here. I really don't want to leave Six alone." It sounded like she was worried that Six would try to melt the cover again, and well, she was. But, it just seemed like a total jerk move to completely abandon him before help arrived. "But, don't feel obligated to stay or anything. I totally get why you'd want to leave a place like this..."

With that, she brought up audiovisuals with Leslie again. "Hey, have you called SciLab yet?"

"Uh, nope. I was about to, though. Why?"

"Just wanted to know. But to be honest, I think I'd feel better if you called them, and not Lyn's operator..."

"That's...kinda weird, but whatever." And with that, her operator returned focus to the other operator, leaving her to her own devices. "Okay, Leslie's going to get in contact with SciLab in just a sec." Time almost seemed to slow down as they began the waiting game...which was, to her, the worst part of anything. It was awful, not being able to do anything at this point. Well, actually, she COULD press something on that hologram asking for an all clear, but since she wasn't completely sure what that meant, it might be better to leave it alone for now. For now, all she could do was stand around, and listen in on Leslie's call. She seemed to be doing a pretty good job explaining everything, so she didn't need to butt in...

[Order of Turn:
1-Be relieved that no one was outraged over her earlier choice
2-Let Lyn know she can leave if she wants
3-Ask Leslie if anyone's called SciLab
4-Listen to Leslie's call to SciLab]
SIX remained curled up and silent as Martia's operator contacted SciLabs.

Meanwhile, while they waited, there were still plenty of consoles around for the two girl Navis to play with. Or to at least find a self-destruct button.

-Boss-
SIX.VI: 500HP

-Objects-
Orange Console: Currently frozen on an ending log entry.
Green Console: Displaying 'Subject SIX' physical schematics.
Red Console: Displaying breach notification and error in containment field for 'Subject Eleven'. Requesting 'All-Clear' Status.
Blue Console: Displaying 'Subject Eleven' and general Project mental workup.
Melted Covering:??? [Two Turns until seal is breached.]

-Terrain-
100% Industrial
[Industrial Terrain counts as Normal Terrain. Debris and various consoles and terminals litter the area in various states of repair, and can be used for cover, interacted with, or used as weapons and tools dependent on RP.]

-Navis-
Martia.EXE: 210HP [LyntaelCross] [40HP Barrier]
Lyntael.EXE: 120HP [MartiaCross] [Buster Charge: 2] [20HP Barrier] [Counter: 'My Pain is Real']
The younger girl started back slightly, mouth open as her friend misunderstood, but before she could object openly, she was already getting in touch with her operator. Lyntael subsided, her head dropping again, this time in embarrassment as Martia made it clear she'd rather have Leslie herself make the call. She was probably right about that, in the end. When she was done, she looked up to find the other woman's eyes again.

"I wasn't meaning..." she shook her head. "Of course we'll stay until help arrives. I just though we'd probably get extracted to wherever they have that they can help Six here, once the call was made. I guess I didn't think about where we are, and all that. It's probably not so simple, you're right." She still sounded quiet and more than a little downcast at the though of having to stay here longer, though a certain amount of it was clearly a growing weariness as well. She was glad to be resting on her knees, rather than standing, truth be told, and returned her attention to her gentle comforts of Six.

"Ok, people will be here to get us soon; good people, so don't panic when they show up, alright? Won't be long now." At least, she really hoped it wouldn't be long. This place, and everything it represented, was just depressing. She'd almost rather it was dark again, than look at more reports of whatever other atrocities they'd committed here.

Summary

1) Comfort and Soothe Six
2) Chat with Martia
3) Wait for the call to go through
4) More Calming and Reassuring
"Er, you did...?" Martia actually blushed slightly from embarrassment, clearly underestimating her partner just a bit. "Sorry, I guess I jumped the gun...still, I think we'll all feel better once we're all out, and safe and sound. I know I can't wait to get out of here..." The things that went on in here...even now she couldn't really think about what Six and the others must've gone through without feeling a little sick to her stomach. She just could not get over the fact that someone would voluntarily do such a thing to someone else. The world could be a really sick place when it wanted to.

After a minor incident with her operator, the martial artist returned her focus to the other Navis nearby. Which...made her a little self-conscious about something she said earlier. "Um, did you hear me just a minute ago...? I guess you did, since I said it louder than I meant to...it's not that I don't trust your operator, Lyn, it's just that...how do I put this...Leslie's an extremely honest person. If she says something, it probably is, or at least how she perceives, the truth. So I thought a simple, completely honest call might be the best approach. But, now that I heard what she said, I'm not sure I was right. I guess there's such a thing as being TOO honest, sometimes..." Not that lying was right, but sometimes it was better to just not say anything, and that was something her operator was not especially adept at doing...

[Order of Turn:
1-Apologize to Lyn
2-Talk to Leslie for a sec
3-Explain what she said earlier
4-Subconsciously groan at her operator]
SIX continued to remain curled up and silent as Rogan's operator contacted SciLabs and Lyntael and Martia continued to discuss amongst themselves and their operators what the plan was.

-Boss-
SIX.VI: 500HP

-Objects-
Orange Console: Currently frozen on an ending log entry.
Green Console: Displaying 'Subject SIX' physical schematics.
Red Console: Displaying breach notification and error in containment field for 'Subject Eleven'. Requesting 'All-Clear' Status.
Blue Console: Displaying 'Subject Eleven' and general Project mental workup.
Melted Covering:??? [Two Turns until seal is breached.]

-Terrain-
100% Industrial
[Industrial Terrain counts as Normal Terrain. Debris and various consoles and terminals litter the area in various states of repair, and can be used for cover, interacted with, or used as weapons and tools dependent on RP.]

-Navis-
Martia.EXE: 210HP [LyntaelCross] [40HP Barrier]
Lyntael.EXE: 120HP [MartiaCross] [Buster Charge: 2] [20HP Barrier] [Counter: 'My Pain is Real']
As she continued to stroke one hand slowly across Six's arms and shoulder, murmuring soft reassurances, Lyntael looked up towards Martia. That the other woman had requested first for Leslie to call in, instead of Rogan didn't really surprise her. Without meaning to, she hadn't exactly painted the most considerate picture of him to her friend.

"It's alright, really..." her voice was soft, and unconsciously tinged with no small amount of sadness. "I know how Rogan sees me, how he sees all navigators, really... I understand." she paused and bit her lip, then looked up again. "But you know, he is really good at talking people into doing what he wants, when he puts his mind to it, you know. I've seen he do it with people who would have him killed if he says the wrong thing, and still come out ahead, and I—" She closed her mouth quickly, biting her lip and drawing in on herself again, head down. Eager to offer something praiseworthy about him, she'd done it again and said things he wouldn't want her to spread.

"I... Sorry, he wouldn't be happy for me to talk about that..." change of subject.... She listened in on Rogan's call briefly to find out what was being said, and brightened a little. "Anyway... it won't be long now. He's talking to someone about sending a retrieval team so they can help." She glanced down to her charge again and smiled softly.

"The good people, who are going to help you get better and fix you up, will be here soon. They're on their way. It won't be long now, just hang in there."


Summary

1) Reassurances for Six
2) Chat to Martia and be inept at keeping private matters private.
3) Listen in to Rogan and give status updates
4) More reassurances and comforts